Senior Optical Engineer - Wilton, CT, United States
$117,750 - $173,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 22 September 2026 by the employer.
This role is part of the Wafer Alignment Sensor team.
About the role
This Senior Optical Engineer role focuses on developing advanced optical sensing solutions that support lithography systems. You will contribute to the Wafer Alignment Sensor team, working on complex optical and photonic systems for precise wafer positioning and measurement.
What you'll do
- Design and develop optical and photonic sensor systems for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
- Build, align, test, and characterize complex optical systems and detector assemblies.
- Analyze performance data to identify issues and improve sensor functionality.
- Lead technical investigations to determine root causes and develop effective solutions.
- Develop and validate signal processing algorithms and experimental test plans.
- Collaborate with software, electronics, manufacturing, and system engineering teams.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s degree in physics, applied physics, optical engineering, or photonics.
- Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in optical engineering or photonic system development.
- Experience working with optical alignment, imaging systems, detectors, or laboratory testing environments.
- Experience with data analysis and software development using MATLAB and Python.
Nice to have
- Master’s degree in physics, optics, photonics, or a related discipline.
- Experience with laboratory automation, signal processing, or optical system modeling.
This role has been open 24 days — well below the 50-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
966
|
Median days open
50 d
|
Median salary
$156k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | ASML | All employers we track in this specialty (966 roles · 102 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 30 | 966 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 57 | 6119 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 31 d | 50 d (−19 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $156k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 74 open roles · median 35 d
- KLA Corporation · 65 open roles · median 43 d
- Teradyne · 57 open roles · median 29 d
- NVIDIA · 52 open roles · median 67 d
- Applied Materials · 50 open roles · median 65 d
- AMD · 47 open roles · median 49 d
How we counted: 966 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 102 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 17 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.